Burlington, Vermont where have you been all of my life?

As you may know, my little, happy family was invited to visit Smuggler’s Notch this winter. Since we decided to drive there, we planned to stay in Burlington, Vermont for a night. I have a friend who loves Burlington and says that she wants to retire there. I now know why.

Our drive was pleasant. My daughter vomited about an hour into our journey, but I’m a pro now and I caught it all in a designated ‘puke bowl’. There wasn’t a drop of it anywhere outside the bowl, these are serious mommy skills people. Thankfully we didn’t need a wardrobe change, we only had to stop to empty and wash the bowl. I apologize to the town of Bond Head for doing this on the side of the road. It had to be done.

We had a comfortable drive in a Ford Explorer and now I’m obsessed with Sirius Satellite Radio. I need this in my car. It was a lovely drive through some small towns that I had never heard of. I saw people ice fishing on the way and I was amazed. My kids, however, where not that impressed with my squeals and picture taking. This was huge for me. I’d only ever seen ice fishing in the movies!

I love that people do this!

We took a ferry from New York State to Vermont and that was another first! I’ve never been on a ferry in my car! (I know… it really doesn’t take much to make me happy.) The scenery was just beautiful, a perfect winter wonderland.

We’re on the ferry! I’m excited!

 
 
We arrived in Burlington late afternoon and didn’t spend any time in the hotel. It was time to explore! The city is absolutely gorgeous. It has a small town feel with everything you could ask for in a city.

They climb.

 
 
We ate at some pretty fantastic restaurants. Best part? The food was all organic and locally grown. That’s right. That’s the norm there and that was impressive. We ate in cozy restaurants that source their ingredients from local farms and we weren’t charged extortionate prices like we would have been if we ate in similar restaurants in Toronto.

That’s the way it should be.

I had some wonderful locally brewed beer. A Winter Gruit Ale brewed by Zero Gravity Craft Brewery. My only regret is that I didn’t bring any of this beer home with me. It was brewed with Sweet Gale, Yarrow, Mugwort, Labrador Tea and Woodruff instead of hops, and it was delicious! The kids drank sweet and refreshing home made juices.

Burlington has a wonderful vibe and it is definitely my kind of city. It is a city that I’d love to spend hours walking in. The lake was so close by and my kids loved walking through the pedestrian only Church Street.

Happy kids!

 
 
We had a really relaxing time. It was only one night and one day, but we loved it and can’t wait to go back. I loved spending quality time with my kids, being close to nature and enjoying good food and drink in a beautiful city. I can’t wait to go back!

The view from our hotel room.